Thank u, Ariana

By: Olivia Wile

Email: wileo@findlay.edu

Twitter: o_wile

Thank u, Ariana Grande for dropping your second album in less than eight months.

After having three successful singles in, “Thank u, Next,” “Imagine,” and “7 Rings,” the pop singer released her full album on Friday, Feb. 8 with a fitting title of “Thank u, Next.”

With about a two-year turn around between her 2016 album, “Dangerous Woman” to “Sweetener,” released in mid-August, “Thank u, Next” came as a bit of a surprise – especially since it has a drastically different sound.

With the year Grande has had, however, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The 25-year-old has lived through a series of very public, personal struggles within the last year, such as the spat with her fiancé, Comedian Pete Davidson, and the death of her ex-boyfriend, Rapper Mac Miller. As “Sweetener” has a very upbeat and playful sound and messages, “Thank u, Next” has a much more solemn tone to it.

As virtually all of Grande’s last album can be traced back to her whirlwind romance with Davidson and her own happiness, “Thank u, Next” showcases a lot more pain and reflection. The album starts with the song “Imagine,” released in late December.

The lyrics tell the story of Grande wishing for a seemingly-normal relationship in which fans don’t recognize her and her partner while she gets take out Chinese food and spends a lazy evening and morning with her love. The song is notably about Miller, as his drug addiction and toxic lifestyle were ultimately why the couple broke up, not a lack of feelings as stated by the article, “Ariana Grande addresses Mac Miller Split: It was ‘a toxic relationship’ and I am not a babysitter.” In the song, Grande reflects on what she wishes their relationship could have been more like.

The rest of the album’s track list includes: “Needy,” “NASA,” “Bloodline,” “Fake Smile,” “Bad Idea,” “Make Up,” “Ghostin,” “In My Head,” “7 Rings,” “Thank u, Next,” and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend I’m Bored.”

Grande’s reflection about her relationship with Miller seems to continue in the song “Ghostin,” as fans noticed it is set to the beat of the Mac Miller song “2009.” In the chorus, Grande sings of a scenario that fans attribute to her lingering feelings for Miller during her relationship with Davidson:

“I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again, over him. I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again, instead of ghosting him.”

Grande’s songs, “Break Up With Your Girlfriend I’m Bored,” “7 Rings,” “Needy,” “Bloodline,” and “Ghostin,” are all on the iTunes top 20. The album itself is at number one on iTunes as well. On the Billboard 100, “7 rings” also remains number one.